Minnesota

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings odds, picks and predictions

Published

12 months ago

December 31, 2023

John Holler
| Staff Writer

The Green Bay Packers (7-8) and Minnesota Vikings (7-8) meet Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Packers vs. Vikings odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.

Neither team has been putting together a playoff resume of late — due in part to injuries and in part to allowing too many back-breaking plays in key situations.

After losing on the road to the New York Giants and at home against Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Packers squeaked out a 33-30 win over the Panthers — the team with the worst record in the league.

For a team that had a schedule extremely favorable to keep winning, losing 2 of those 3 games was debilitating to their chances of making the playoffs.

Few teams have been as erratic as the Vikings. After starting 1-4, Minnesota won 5 straight, only to lose 4 of their last 5 games — 3 of those to non-playoff teams.

The problem has been at quarterback. The Vikings will be continuing the carousel of quarterbacks when rookie Jaren Hall gets the start. Hall was named the starter after Kirk Cousins went down, but suffered a concussion in the 1st quarter of his 1st start. His 2 replacements — Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens — both played their way out of the starting job, so Plan D may actually be Plan B post-Cousins.

FOOTBALL NEVER STOPS

Live games, analysis and more 7 days a week: Get ESPN+

Packers at Vikings odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:39 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Packers -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Vikings -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Packers +1 (-110) | Vikings -1 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 43 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Packers at Vikings key injuries

Packers

LB De’Vondre Campbell (neck) doubtful
TE Luke Musgrave (kidney) doubtful
S Darnell Savage (shoulder) questionable
WR Christian Watson (hamstring) doubtful
WR Dontayvion Wicks (chest/ankle) questionable

Vikings

WR Jordan Addison (ankle) questionable
CB Mekhi Blackmon (shoulder) questionable
TE T.J. Hockenson (knee) out/injured reserve
CB Byron Murphy (knee) out
DE D.J. Wonnum (quad) out/injured reserve

Packers at Vikings picks and predictions

Prediction

Packers 24, Vikings 20

Moneyline

TAKE PACKERS (-105).

You shouldn’t have to invest more than you win when your team is an underdog. The Vikings fans will be loud and make things difficult for QB Jordan Love, but things will be a lot quieter if Hall struggles like Dobbs and Mullens did.

Against the spread

TAKE PACKERS +1 (-110).

The Vikings have been victims of their own offensive ineptitude. Minnesota has committed 30 turnovers — an average of 2 every game. You don’t win in the NFL when you turn the ball over and give an opponent a short field or turn it over when in scoring position.

The Packers are going to throw formations at Hall that he hasn’t seen on film. He will likely be forced to run for his life, which may explain why he lasted just 1 quarter in his 1st start.

Over/Under

BET OVER 43 (-110).

In their last 2 games, the O/U numbers for the Vikings have been 51 and 54. The Packers have gone Over this number in their last 5 games, including 64 and 63 points in their last 2 — against the Bucs and Panthers.

One way or another — whether a monster game from WR Justin Jefferson or a defensive touchdown — this game will find a way to go Over. If 1 team gets up 10-0 early, it’s almost guaranteed because losing isn’t an option and leaving trick plays in practice doesn’t make sense. Fake punts are in play.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

Access more NFL coverage:

Source link

Click to comment

Minnesota

NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. report for Minnesota from Dec. 21, 2024

Published

1 hour ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. report for Minnesota from Dec. 21, 2024 – CBS Minnesota

Watch CBS News

Saturday was our last cold day for a while, with a warm-up arriving Sunday and lasting through the holiday week.

Source link

Minnesota

Party City to shutter hundreds of stores across the U.S., including 10 in Minnesota

Published

9 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Party City to shutter hundreds of stores across the U.S., including 10 in Minnesota

Hit by headwinds including inflationary pressures, competition from e-commerce sites, big box retailers, pop-up stores and even a helium shortage, Party City is going out of business.

The closing of the nation’s largest party supply store, reported by CNN on Friday, is expected to shutter more than 700 retail stores in North America by the end of February, including 10 stores in Minnesota.

According to the company’s website, Party City has outlets in Apple Valley, Bloomington, Chanhassen, Coon Rapids, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Roseville, St. Cloud, St. Louis Park and Woodbury. Employees contacted at stores in Roseville, St. Cloud and Apple Valley said they had heard of the closing but could not comment.

Party City, which sells everything from balloons, costumes and birthday banners to gender reveal props and New Year’s Eve tiaras, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2023. That resulted in the cancellation of nearly $1 billion in debt.

The 38-year-old New Jersey-based company exited bankruptcy after naming a new CEO, Barry Litwin, in August. But the company was still contending with more than $800 million in debt, according to CNN. The New York Times reported the company employed more than 16,000 people.

Source link

Minnesota

Report: Falcons likely to cut former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

Published

17 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Report: Falcons likely to cut former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

The Atlanta Falcons are likely to cut Kirk Cousins before mid-March, less than a year after he left the Minnesota Vikings to head to Georgia.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “executives across the leave” believe Cousins’ exit from Atlanta will happen before a $10 million roster bonus is due on Mar. 17, with Schefter citing “multiple sources” who say a split is now inevitable.

It comes in the week that Falcons made the decision to bench Cousins in favor of rookie QB Michael Penix, Jr., whom the Falcons drafted at No. 8 in March shortly after signing Cousins to a four-year, $160 million deal.

Given Cousins has a no-trade clause in his Falcons contract, Schefter notes that it’s unlikely Atlanta will be able to find a suitable deal to trade Cousins, meaning he’s likely to hit the free agent market for the second year running.

Cousins entered the season still recovering from the Achilles injury that ended his final year with the Vikings, and has struggled under center, with the tipping point for Atlanta coming after a 41-21 loss in Minnesota to the Vikings and a 15-9 win over the struggling Las Vegas Raiders, where Cousins threw for only 112 yards, one TD and one INT.

He still showed flashes of his old brilliance however, namely in the 31-26 win over the Tampa Bay Bucaneers in late October, when he threw for 276 yards and four TDs.

After moving on from Cousins, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold for a one-year, $10 million deal and drafted JJ McCarthy with the 10th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Source link